Open Ocean
by Skylark016
Summary: "This isn't where we belong!" "We belong out there. On the water. It's in your blood. It's in my blood. And right now it's under attack." A race to find a new treasure forces Jack Sparrow and his crew, and Henry Turner to reunite and gather new allies if they want to have a mere chance at salvation.


Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or any of its characters/settings

Author's Note: I've never tried to write a Pirates of the Caribean fanfic before, but the most recent film inspired me to try it out. Please let me know if anything is severly wrong, or a character is way OOC. Hope you enjoy!

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She gripped the rope of the shroud and climbed onto the railing of the ship, leaning out so that she hung above the water the wind billowing and tugging at her loose clothing. The only thing keeping her from plunging down into the gurgling water was her tightened grip on the rope, the hairs of which dug into her palm. The rope was warm, the breeze cool, the crew finishing the few chores that remained to be done. Mainly just double checking what supplies would be needed at the next town.

She grinned and closed her eyes, feelings the spray of sea water hit her face, the cool breeze whipping her blonde hair so that it tickled her face. She wore a simple white man's shirt and tan trousers, her feet bare.(They had long since been calloused enough to ease any worry of splinters from her mind.) She had always desired to dress as such, the norms for women's clothing too confining and too much of a hassle when at sea. She'd seen many other women sailors, though few, dress in similar attire. The only accessories on her head was the green scarf that she used as a headband, a sword strapped to her thigh, and a golden earring in her right ear.

Her skin was tanned due to hours in open sunlight spent on the ship's deck making the specks of green in her brown eyes seem even brighter by comparison. She licked her chapped lips, thinking longingly of the Hillsburrow Inn that they had visited two months ago on their last supply run. The Inn had possessed the best mead she'd ever tasted, and the meal had contained real cooked bread and meat.

They had long since run out of mead on the ship, and meat was always to be considered a delicacy on the ocean, if one didn't count fish as real meat.

"Aye! Ship off the star board! Ship off the star board!"

Her gaze snapped to attention at the call. She her body around and jumped back onto the ship's deck and grabbed the scope handed her way. She searched the ship through the glass, looking for a mark or a flag to identify who it belonged to.

"English," she cursed, lowering the scope. " PREPARE THE CANNONS!"

The order was taken up immediately, repeated throughout the ship.

"Man the cannons!" "Make the cannons ready!" "Preparing the cannons!"

Her second in command glanced at her as he took the scope back.

"Captain-"

"Yes?" She asked, eyeing the ship as it continued to approach their vessel.

"We won't be able to take them down, our ship is already barely holding together from the last run in."

"What do you suggest we do then?" she raised an eyebrow,"Tell the crew that this is it? Grab a piece of wood and hope you can float to safety?"

He shook his head, "Tis madness to think that we can overcome them on our own."

"We don't need to overcome them," she replied steadily. The certainty in her voice was nearly enough to sway him. For a captain so young, she knew how to handle tough situations, knew how to keep the crew just obedient enough to be willing to do their duties without too much of a complaint. However, she'd be the first to admit that she still had much to learn both as a captain and as a person. That was one of the many reasons she'd chosen to have Sir Codogene as her second in command, he was a wise old sailor with a few scattered strands of white in his neat black hair, who'd spent the majority of his life on the water. She trusted him as she'd trusted no one else. "We just have to out last them."

"Miss," he sighed, watching the crew wait for the ship to come within firing range, he didn't bother mincing his words,"We won't."

She glanced over at him, "You think we should evacuate." It wasn't a question. Anyone could see that engaging the English would be costly. Perhaps too costly.

"That remains up to you. But you need to consider how many lives might be lost if we continue on our course. We cannot hope to win simply because we are determined."

She sighed, and there was a momentary lapse of silence in their conversation as she debated what the best course of action would be. There was no avoiding the fact that not everyone would be saved. But there was still hope for some of them to escape.

She pursed her lips and made up her mind, "Fill up the dingy with as many men as you see fit and guide them North by Southwest, you should reach a string of islands within a couple days, or less if you make good time, if my memory serves me correctly. I would suggest taking what supplies we still possess and -"

"I'm not leaving this ship knowing that you'll to be left with half a crew against a full squadron of soldiers. As your Second it is my duty-"

"To follow your captain's orders," Her eyes flashed, "You'll not die on this ship. Get the dingy ready, but wait to launch for my signal." When he made no move to do as she had stated, she stepped towards him, as if daring him to defy her last command as captain of the ship that they loved,"That's an order."

Slowly, Sir Codogene took a step back and started walking towards the people he would need in order to survive the trip. She wondered if he'd start a crew of his own. Find a new ship, come up with a name for it. He'd be a good captain, she had no doubt about that. So long as he kept his temper in check. He'd treat his crew fairly, split whatever profit they'd come across.

A lump formed in her throat as she watched him climb down below deck. He was a good man. She'd miss him.

Some of the crew was gazing at her curiously now, no doubt picking up from her body language that something was going on. Wondering if they should continue doing what they were told.

She lifted her chin and unsheathed her blade, raising it into the air and grinned broadly, "Who's ready to send some English gits back down to Davy Jones, where they belong!"

Her cry was met with a hearty cheers. The crew having more reason than most to despise the English navy. She'd chosen such a crew for just this purpose. When the going got tough, she needed men who would give their enemies hell till the last breath.

As soon as the first shot was fired by their ship, she saluted Sir Codogene with the sword. He nodded grimly and gave an order to two crew members that had been picked, Ralph Eckles and Taurman Tyke, who started to lower the dingy to the water, cutting the rope when they were far enough down.

"Smooth sailing!" she shouted, knowing that the blasts would obscure her words enough that the English wouldn't hear her. She leaned over the railing.

"We'll meet again," he replied with a curt nod.

The knowledge that those words were false hung between them. Neither willing to submit to it, but neither fooling themselves with a senseless hope. She watched them briefly before returning to the threat at hand as her ship gave a jolt, the English had started to fire back

The English vessel was getting closer and closer, taking a bite out of her ship with each fire of the cannon. They were about to be boarded, that much she knew, it was a tactic she'd used herself on a number of occasions. But if she was going down, she was taking as many soldiers with her as she could.

She grabbed another sword and stretched out her shoulders, "Arm yourselves, men! We're about to have company!"

The events that happened next remained a blur in her memory.

One minute she was fighting off a rather ambitious soldier, grunting with each swing, stepping in with each thrust. Jumping back, all the while watching what was happening to her ship in the corner of her eye. Someone had started a fire, she couldn't see it but she could smell burning wood and her eyes stung from the smoke whenever the wind blew her way.

The next minute men's shouts were leaping around the air, the black smoke so thick that it was hard to see more than three feet away. The soldier that she'd been fighting pulled back and got lost in the smoke.

"Look out!"

"She's going to blow!"

A man ran out of the smoke and sprinted past her, barely missing her as he presumably sprinted towards the ship's railing. Her heart stopped beating. Time slowed down. It was as if she was in a dream, watching, waiting. Yearning to wake up. Soot stuck to her body wherever it could attach itself to her sweat. She could no longer hear men fighting.

"Get off! Get off!

"Abandon ship! Abando-"

The explosion was enough to send her flying twenty feet into the air. The flames had found their target, the supply of gunpowder kept below deck for the cannons. Soldiers and pirates alike were thrown from the ship. The raging fire and power from the explosion didn't care what you wore or what rank you were, all it cared about was complete and utter destruction.

 _"She's a beauty alrigh'," Sir Codogene nodded as he eyed the ship up and down with approval._

 _She puffed out her chest slightly at the praise, "Aye, the captain thinks so as well." She had thought it best to wait before informing him that she was the captain, she wanted to be sure that he was a straight shooter, so to speak._

 _"What's the name of the ship then, eh?"_

 _"Vandrare, it translates to-"_

 _"Wanderer," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully._

 _"You don't approve?" she questioned._

 _"It is not my place to question the captain."_

 _"Very well, if you had a ship of your own, what would you choose to be it's name?"_

 _"Soturi," he informed, looking down at her, he answered her questioning gaze, "The word is french for warrior. On the sea you need a name that sounds powerful. A name like 'wanderer' is child's play in a man's ocean, but 'warrior' is a declaration. Of course...it would need a reputation to support it."_

 _She grinned, "Soturi, it does not role of the tongue like vandrare, but it might do."_

'Farewell Codogene,' she thought, as her body suspended weightless over the water, 'And goodbye my sweet Soturi.'

She didn't remember hitting the water. Didn't remember grabbing a piece of hull that was drifting in the water and gripping it with a death grip. All she remembered was pain, and darkness.

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*Did you like it? I know it might be a little bit of a slow start, but every story has to begin somewhere, right? I hope you enjoyed it, **thank you so much for taking the time to read my work.** If you have a spare moment, please, _please,_ leave a review. I've never written a poc fanfic before and any and all feedback would be tremendously helpful. Thanks again! :)*


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